​The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) remains determined to finalize its “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals” regulation. The gatekeeper for federal agency regulations, the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), informed the agencies that they have until this summer to complete and submit their priority regulations, if they expect those regulations to be published prior to President Obama’s departure from office. In a recent CSPA conference, Robert “Drew” Lausch stated that EPA is working through the stakeholder comments to meet its goal to get the rule finalized as scheduled.

The 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum marked two-and-a-half days of dynamic discussions about using data to drive innovation and business improvements in promotions, healthcare and supply chain. The annual event, presented in partnership with Wake Forest University Center for Retail Innovation, brought together the best minds in business and academia to explore the practical application of data analytics to drive conversion, create operational efficiencies and bring about improved business and consumer/patient outcomes.

Richard Sieg, Regulatory Counsel, Inmar
Sustainability has become a major centerpiece of the retail industry strategy. RILA itself published its first sustainability report in 2012 highlighting the major trends and best practices in the industry. Meanwhile, shareholder activism has become a driver in publicly traded companies for the pursuit of sustainability programs. As RILA points out, the business case for sustainability is only solidified further as more retailers build their sustainability strategies and report on their successes. Private companies are also joining this initiative, especially in retail. And, while waste is only one piece of sustainability, it is an important one. Liquidation and donation of viable consumer products is a great solution to help minimize waste and deliver products to the secondary market in a compliant manner.

Student teams from universities across the globe will compete in this year’s Wake Forest University School of Business Marketing Summit. The Marketing Summit, held in conjunction with the Inmar Analytics Forum, is a student-run competition that offers both Graduate and Undergraduate students the opportunity to apply their marketing skills and creativity to real-world marketing challenges. This is the 26th year for the competition, with teams competing for a prize purse of $43,000.

Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Health, will be participating in the fast-approaching 2016 Inmar Analytics Forum — making a main stage presentation on Wednesday, April 13. His presentation begins at 8:30 a.m. and is titled “Revolution at the Corner Drug Store: How Data Helps People on Their Path to Better Health.”

​The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is loading stakeholder comments into the regulatory dockets for the proposed rule for Management of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals. Our review of comments posted thus far indicates some common themes that support retailers’ needs to change the rules to more appropriately fit the retail reverse logistics environment

Pharmacy professionals will have a unique opportunity to hear successful strategies from the best in the business at the Inmar Analytics Forum, April 12-14, 2016 in Winston-Salem, NC. In the current shifting healthcare landscape it’s more important than ever to huddle with industry colleagues whenever possible to share and learn the best new approaches to a constant stream of new challenges in the industry.

As the future of pharmaceutical regulation continues to play out today in regulatory agency rule-making dockets, its evolution is also now before the United States Supreme Court. In its Spring 2015 Agenda, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists July 2015 as the expected publication date for the second Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) for the Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court may review the Alameda County, CA attempt to regulate the U.S. drug market.

Despite the explosion of mobile healthcare technology available to consumers, just 15 percent of physicians are discussing wearables or health apps with their patients as tools for achieving wellness, according to market research firm MedPanel.

The NACDS Total Store Expo (August 22- 25) will be here soon and Inmar is actively scheduling business exchange appointments to take place during the conference. Participating in an exchange will be an excellent opportunity for you to share your priorities with us and hear how we can help you meet your business goals. We hope you’ll take the time to join us for an informative and productive discussion while you’re at the Expo.

On February 25, 2015, Senate Bill 423 was introduced in the California Legislature. This Bill seeks to amend the California Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA) to streamline retail options for managing, discarding and recycling over the counter (OTC) products and dietary supplements. A hearing scheduled for April 15, 2015, was cancelled at the request of the author; it appears that a hearing on this Bill may take place as early as June or July.

If you didn’t get to attend the 2015 Inmar Forum in April, or if you were with us and just didn’t get to all the sessions you wanted to, select presentations are now available via online video. Simply register to participate and you’ll have access to videos of many of the Forum’s speakers and panelists. The videos will be available through June 14.

“The stakes are high: Advanced, population-level healthcare IT systems will not work without a better, more intelligent approach to patient engagement,” Chilmark Research contends in its new 2014/2015 Clinical Patient Engagement Market Trends Report. “The introduction of new technologies, if accompanied by effective organizational leadership and requisite adjustments to clinical workflow, can have a transformative effect on the relationship a healthcare organization has with its patients. As the delivery system transitions bit-by-bit to a value-based reimbursement model, technology that encourages and enables patients to take a more active role in their own care will become a critical investment.”

All eyes should be turned toward Washington, D.C. as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted the second Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on March 19.

​​The growth of specialty pharmaceuticals brings with it significant challenges in navigating the complexities and additional challenges associated with plan coverage and reimbursement for this class of expensive treatments. While some plans are moving some classes of specialty drugs into pharmacy coverage, others remain outside the formulary and are relegated to medical coverage, presenting a number of tracking and reimbursement challenges to dispensing retail pharmacies.

We are delighted that you were able to join us for the 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum, and trust that you found it to be a worthwhile investment of your time. Our Forum planning team worked very hard to create a unique learning environment for delivering actionable insights into the practical application of analytics – and we have heard many positive things from attendees.

The 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum is just around the corner, but there is still time to register to attend. The two and one-half day event, taking place April 7-9 in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, offers attendees more than 50 information sessions exploring how data analytics can be used to build brand, create operational efficiencies and drive improved business outcomes.

The keynote speakers for the 2015 Inmar Forum will be David Plouffe, Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy, Uber, and Farzad Mostashari, M.D., CEO of Aledade. Both men are recognized as leading experts in the innovative application of analytics – influencing organizational paradigms across industry sectors regarding the use of big data. Their presentations promise to be informative and insightful for all attendees.

Thank you to all those who have already registered for the 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum. We are excited that you will be joining us for this information-packed event. The Forum boasts a tremendous amount of content in each of the three industry-specific tracks – with multiple breakout sessions running concurrently at different locations.

The 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum, April 7-9 at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, NC, will be an excellent opportunity for healthcare and pharmacy professionals to get first-hand insight into healthcare industry trends and information that will help shape the future of this dynamic, rapidly-evolving industry.

​Day three of the Inmar Analytics Forum is your chance to dig down into the execution of forward-thinking supply chain strategies and how Inmar approaches solutions for value retention, increased efficiency and risk mitigation.

The 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum, April 7-9 at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, NC,will be an excellent opportunity for healthcare and pharmacy professionals to get first-hand insight into healthcare industry trends and information that will help shape the future of this dynamic, rapidly-evolving industry.

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has extended CPE credit for four Healthcare sessions at the Inmar Analytics Forum, April 7-9 at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, NC. CPE credit for these sessions is through the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

​Three pharmaceutical manufacturer associations have asked the United States Supreme Court to review the first pharmaceutical extended-producer responsibility law in the nation. It is no surprise that this case arises out of the State of California.
The Alameda County Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance requires “any prescription drug producer [manufacturer] who either sells, offers for sale, or distributes brand name or generic drugs in Alameda County, to collect and safely dispose of the County’s unwanted prescription drugs, no matter which manufacturer made the drug in question,” exempting nonprescription drugs and other products from coverage under this law.

​More than half of healthcare managers surveyed expected to recoup their investments in population health management programs – an approach to medicine that encourages greater collaboration and integration among healthcare providers and their patients – within three to four years, according to KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm.

The 2015 Inmar Analytics Forum — taking place April 7-9 in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, North Carolina — will feature an outstanding group of presenters from the promotion, supply chain and healthcare industries. These senior subject matter experts and world-class thought leaders will deliver real insight into using analytics to build brand, create operational efficiencies and drive improved business and patient outcomes.

Looking ahead in 2015, change appears on the horizon for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. As discussed in prior articles, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attempting for the second time to push through a universal waste regulatory scheme for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. An effort in 2008 lost traction because of stakeholder concerns related to tracking and notification.

Patients to take control of data in ‘democratization’ of medicine
From Health Data Management

Eric Topol, M.D., chief academic officer of Scripps Health in San Diego, is many things. He is a practicing cardiologist, a geneticist, a researcher and a bestselling author.

In his 2012 book The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Healthcare, Topol argues that the healthcare industry is in the beginning phases of its “creative destruction”— a term coined by economist Joseph Schumpeter to describe the revolutionary process by which innovation replaces old industries with new ones.

In wishing you the happiest of holidays, we want you to know that Inmar will be closed on December 24, 25 and January 1.
Our warmest wishes to you for the coming new year! If you missed our holiday greeting, you can view ithere.

The end of a year is a good time to reflect on the regulatory changes that occurred in 2014. No summary would be complete without mentioning the Sept. 9, 2014 Final Rule for the Disposal of Controlled Substances.

A survey of 1,000 physicians and physician “extenders” has found that caregivers see the potential of digital technology to transform healthcare despite barriers in data sharing, privacy, security, workflows and payment.

By 2020, 80 percent of healthcare data will pass through the cloud at some point in its lifetime, as providers seek to leverage cloud-based technologies and infrastructure for data collection, aggregation, analytics and decision-making. And, 65 percent of consumer transactions with healthcare organizations will be mobile by 2018.